What’s next for Canelo Alvarez?

Is this your boxing face?

For Manny Delgado: Boxing’s biggest superstar, hailed as the face of boxing by the sport itself, considered by many to be an arguable living legend, who will undoubtedly cement his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame as one of the best Mexican fighters to ever have never lived That said, his last four fights, over the last year and a half, have left a lot to be desired. All easily winnable fights that posed no real threat to him and weren’t even competitive. It has left many sports fans wondering, “Is this your boxing face?”

Needless to say, fans have not been happy with his recent fight choices, begging the question, “Should Canelo continue boxing or should he retire to play golf?” as he has been noted to thoroughly enjoy himself, at one point he was even criticized by the boxing media for playing too often and not focusing enough on his boxing training.

Canelo vs. Benavidez

In his defense, we could say that he has earned the right to pick his fights as he pleases, Canelo often states this as well. Having done it all, going on to become the only super middleweight champion of the world in the history of the sport in 2021 and facing the best the sport has had to offer in his weight category Still, one huge asterisk remains, and that is boogeyman David Benavidez, aka “The Mexican Monster,” and for exceptional reasons.

His high volume, fast and explosive style is cited as one that could give huge problems to Canelo’s low output, mainly the counterpunch layout. Stylistically, it’s the kind of wrestling clash that could be an instant classic. Depending on who wins, he could catapult Benavidez to superstardom, having defeated the very man who is “the face of boxing” or, in the case of Canelo, silence the naysayers once and for all, being officially recognized as the man he beat, which many considered as his biggest challenge so far.

Canelo and Benavidez’s verbal spat for more than a year is a tense exchange between their opposing views on the matter, Canelo said briefly in an interview:

“I bring nothing to the table; only brings 25 more pounds into the fight of the night”

That was over 10 months ago, more recently Canelo claimed he would fight Benavidez if the purse was $150-200 million. To which Benavidez responded with the furious disposition of:

“@canelo if I have nothing to offer then why are you asking to get 150-200 million to fight someone worthless? Hopefully, after you’ve won that 150 million, you’ve got enough left over to buy a couple of nuts.”

Benavidez’s argument, in combination with other statements he’s made regarding the fight, pretty much is, why are lesser opponents allowed the gift of winning the Canelo sweepstakes? And not him, who is more than deserving. Whether or not we’ll ever see an official fight poster that says “Canelo vs. Benavidez” and is currently one of the most important questions in the sport of boxing.

Canelo vs. Crawford

That being said, more recently, there is a rumor that Canelo vs. Crawford is in the works for Sept. 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 168 pounds. A matchup that could offer what you might consider a guaranteed thrill due to Crawford’s impressive boxing skills. Considered one of the most complete or “complete” boxers in the sport with multiple high level attributes that make him so adaptable as a fighter, he is currently still undefeated with a record of 41-0 and is 2x. undisputed champion in two weight categories, both welterweight (140) and super lightweight (147).

In Canelo’s case, he’s a former undisputed middleweight champion (168) who beat everyone who gave him a legitimate challenge, at least possibly, since most fans agree he lost to Golovkin by first time, and back-to-back rematches are largely considered a matter of opinion as to who won, as they are not considered decisive victories for either side, depending on who you ask, but that’s another topic entirely. Aside from that and the huge asterisk of whether or not he can beat Benavidez, Canelo is widely considered the current face of boxing due to his impressive resume and equally impressive boxing ability. Known primarily for his elite-level counterpunching ability and crafty defense that has earned him the spotlight fight that appeals to purists and casual fans alike.

A mega-fight like this that fans consider a fantasy matchup, possibly playing out in reality, would be a huge box office draw, but despite that, Canelo is actually very dismissive of Crawford, going so far as to say:

“Look, I respect Terence Crawford. He’s got a lot of talent, but he’s only won one big fight. If you look at his record, he’s only beaten one good fighter. Other than that, he hasn’t beaten other good fighters like Spence.”

Crawford, in turn, confidently responded on Twitter with:

“Noted! Just remember what you said because I’ve always had the joy of making somebody look like nobody.”

This potential fight, while offering a high probability of possible excitement during the build-up and once the gloves touch, has left many fans questioning whether a fight where a much lighter Crawford moves up two weight classes to fight a man which is naturally much heavier than him. it’s even a fight worth considering. We’ve all seen what happens when a naturally smaller fighter moves up in weight to fight a bigger man, and it rarely ends well; Crawford’s exceptional boxing skills aside, power, stamina and mobility do not translate well from lighter weight to higher weight classes.

Canelo vs. buffalo

As an example, Canelo recently moved up to lightweight (174) to fight Bivol, a fight that casual fans considered “a cherry that fell out,” but sports fans knew better and that Bivol could be Canelo’s biggest challenge yet. . Canelo looked completely out of his element in his fight against Bivol, not only because Bivol is as elite as they come, with his great mobility and intensity, Soviet style, but because Canelo seemed to carry extra weight that made it difficult. to move, which was Already considered a heavy, flat-footed fighter who looks like he’s walking through mud, adding more literal weight to his fighting frame was not a good match. Not to mention, his gas tank eventually ran out and he kept getting marked by shots he might have otherwise blocked or avoided, taking no credit for Bivol’s ability to place his shots effectively . Bottom line, if Bivol and Canelo were both at 168, Canelo probably would have taken less punches.

The possible verdict of Canelo vs. Crawford

Could Crawford face a similar verdict? Where despite being what many consider a “complete” fighter, more like a chameleon than a human. Will his boxing skills translate into moving up two weight classes? or will he simply suffer Canelo’s fate? and it doesn’t reach the naturally bigger man, his abilities take a huge hit due to the added weight of the fight. Any opinion on the matter is purely speculation, and no one can say for sure what the outcome will be, the only thing that is certain is that not only will Crawford be in the ring against Canelo, but he will also be fighting for himself. to the downsides of fighting a weight you’re not normally used to fighting. If there is any man or boxer who can overcome both challenges, it is definitely Crawford. Because of this, despite being considered an unnecessary fight by many sports fans, it could still be a very promising and entertaining fight.

Canelo’s legacy

But aside from that potential matchup, what’s next for Canelo? Will he finally face his personal bogeyman, David Benavidez? If we are to go by the entire narrative of events and indirect exchanges between the two, this seems highly unlikely. The most reasonable prediction would be that he continues to give the sport of boxing fights in which his opponents pose no real threat to him, thus continuing his retirement tour with no clear end in sight or expected of him for anything different. What do you personally think the near future holds for Canelo? and how does that affect his overall legacy as a fighter?